The Senior

Rated PG • Theaters

Faith-based films have occupied the “inspirational melodrama” space since the genre’s explosion in the early 2000s. In many ways, this has served the faith-based genre well, with hits like War Room (2015) and I Can Only Imagine (2018). Other times it’s opened it up to charges of dishonesty, for example when the pressure to have a feel-good story trumps the need to portray man’s sinfulness. Angel Studios’ new film The Senior showcases how these two impulses sometimes work against each other.

The film loosely—very loosely—­follows the real-life story of Mike Flynt who, at age 59, reenrolls at his alma mater to finish his senior year of college football. Finishing what he started so long ago forces Mike to confront, with the help of his faith, longstanding issues he has with his abusive father, issues that have damaged his relationship with his son and wife.

A strong premise and solid performances carry this film. The true story of Mike Flynt—an older man going back to college football, showing that it’s possible to defy the odds, correct mistakes, give back to the younger generation, and, yes, follow his dreams—proves inspirational. Likewise, overcoming the toxic behaviors learned from one’s parents and reconciling with family members you’ve hurt bring tears to the eyes. Where the film hits those beats well, it works.

Michael Chiklis—whom I still have fond memories of from his days as Ben Grimm in 2005’s Fantastic Four—is both effortlessly charming and believably complex as Mike Flynt. Brandon Flynn plays the son Micah, and their ­portrayal of a broken father-son relationship is effectively uncomfortable. (Perhaps too effectively, as we’ll discuss in a moment.) Mary Stuart Masterson as Mike’s wife Eileen brings a warm and grounded presence to the film, and she and Chiklis click as a lovely but flawed married couple. Flynt’s relationship with his teammates is infectious, and I would have loved to see more of it.

The main problem with The Senior is that its feel-good premise and execution too often clash with the difficult issues it brings up. The movie wants us to root for Mike as he tries to finish his senior college football year. But to keep the stakes high, the movie has his wife, and especially his son, frequently calling this dream selfish and irresponsible. Mom and son make strong arguments. They point out how he made this decision without them, with no consideration for how it would force them to restructure their lives. They claim this pattern of behavior has caused real damage to their family (particularly to his son). Mike learned this pattern from his own dad, and the film portrays their toxic relationship vividly. Whenever he’s challenged with these things, Mike’s response is largely just, “I have to do this.”

Eileen’s defense of her husband—that they need to support him because he needs to fix this regret so he can fix his other regrets, including how he treated his son—feels weak. Most ­people with loved ones addicted to self-­centered and irresponsible behavior find that having their choices validated merely encourages them to keep making the same kinds of choices. It doesn’t usually end with them finally apologizing and changing their ways. Likewise, Eileen’s logic strikes me as too close to the argument made in the wider culture that we should uncritically support loved ones in whatever lifestyle they choose. That’s not really the message the film is trying to send, but it’s trying to have it both ways and tying itself into knots as a result.

You can see many such forced character beats throughout the film. When Mike discovers how his father came to faith before he died, we’re told through Micah’s voice-over that this created a change in his dad. But we don’t see any significant change; we just have to take voice-over Micah’s word for it.

The cumulative result is that the emotional rush of inspiration you expect in a movie like this falls relatively flat compared with others in the genre (like this year’s The Last Rodeo, also from Angel Studios).

There’s enough about The Senior that works—the typical formula beats, the casting, etc.—that die-hard fans of inspirational dramas and faith-based films may rule this a touchdown. But those spoiled by better recent entries may groan where it fumbles.